President Barack Obama invoked his grandmother, single mother and two young daughters on Wednesday in creating a White House panel to advise him on issues facing women and girls.

Obama, standing with prominent members of his administration and with his wife sitting nearby, signed an executive order creating an across-the-government council designed to help Cabinet agencies and departments collaborate on ways to make sure women were provided opportunities offered to men.

"I sign this order not just as a president, but as a son, a grandson, a husband and a father because, growing up, I saw my mother put herself through school and follow her passion for helping others," Obama said. "But I also saw how she struggled to raise me and my sister on her own, worrying about how she'd pay the bills and educate herself and provide for us."

He said he signed the order to honor all the women who came before him, such as his grandmother who was a bank vice president but was denied promotions because of her gender. He said the fight for gender equality is far from over.

"So now it's up to us to carry that work forward, to ensure that our daughters and granddaughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements — and that they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers never dreamed of," Obama said. "That's the purpose of this council; those are the priorities of my presidency."

He also said his own experiences with the women in his life reflect the challenges of all women.

"I've seen Michelle, the rock of the Obama family, juggling work and parenting with more skill and grace than anybody that I know," Obama said. "But I also saw how it tore at her at times, how sometimes when she was with the girls she was worrying about work, and when she was at work she was worrying about the girls. It's a feeling that I share every day."

Obama cited statistic to back up his case: Women earn just 78 cents for every dollar men make; 1 in 4 women still experiences domestic violence; women are 49 percent of the work force but only 3 percent of Fortune 500 chiefs.

"When these inequalities stubbornly persist in this country, in this century, then I think we need to ask ourselves some hard questions. I think we need to take a hard look at where we're falling short, and who we're leaving out, and what that means for the prosperity and the vitality of our nation," Obama said.

Obama named senior adviser Valerie Jarrett — herself a single mother — to head the group, which would include Cabinet secretaries and other administration officials. White House aide Tina Tchen (CHEN) would run its day-to-day operations.

The announcement was part of the administration's push to mark Women's History Month.

Later Wednesday at the State Department, first lady Michelle Obama joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to present the department's Award for International Women of Courage to seven female activists from Afghanistan, Guatemala, Iraq, Malaysia, Niger, Russia and Uzbekistan who have fought to end discrimination and inequality.

"I know a little a bit about the role that Michelle Obama is filling now and I have to say that in a very short time she has through her grace and her wisdom become an inspiration to women and girls not only in the United States but around the world," the former first lady said by way of introduction.

Mrs. Obama returned the compliment, thanking Clinton for her service and dedication to improving living conditions for women and girls.

"As women, we must stand up for ourselves," she said. "As women, we must stand up for reach other. As women, we must stand up for justice for all."

Advocates praised the new panel. The National Women's Law Center applauded the move but added more needed to be done. California first lady Maria Shriver, who is working with the Center for American Progress on a report on women's issues, said the move was a reminder that "we are now what I like to call 'a woman's nation.'"

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from the State Department.

(This version CORRECTS in 5th graf spelling of 'great-grandmothers'.) )